Groom shot in head by masked gunman during attempted armed robbery at wedding reception in St. Louis

A new husband is in the hospital fighting for his life after two masked gunmen stormed his wedding reception and shot him in the head.

Last Friday, Manuel and Dulce Gonzalez became husband and wife. They had been together for a decade and have two children together.

'They were saying my brother-in-law was going for his wallet, and maybe they thought he was going for a weapon.'

So that evening, 50 of their closest family and friends gathered in the couple's backyard in Dutchtown, a neighborhood located near the Mississippi River just a few miles south of downtown St. Louis. The group was having such a good time that the party extended well into the night.

Unbeknownst to the hosts and guests, a pair of masked suspects had seemingly been casing the area. Ring camera footage indicates that the males rode by the home on their bikes shortly after midnight on Saturday morning as 32-year-old Manuel Gonzalez walked some of the guests to their cars.

About an hour later, the suspects burst into the couple's backyard. They were armed and demanded everyone there to freeze. One suspect then began rifling through people's pockets and belongings while the other held a gun to Manuel's head.

Suddenly, the suspect holding the gun shot Manuel in the head, and the two fled the scene, having stolen nothing. "They took nothing, yet they took everything from us," said Yaribeth Peña, the bride's sister and the couple's next-door neighbor.

Manuel was raced to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition. His new father-in-law reported that he has made some slight movements with his hands, which have given the family hope.

"He’s fighting for his life. We are hoping he pulls through," Peña said.

Peña characterized her brother-in-law as a hardworking man who loves Dulce and their children. "He’s just an all-around good person that, I don’t know, he didn’t deserve this," she said.

She also offered a possible explanation for the horrific shooting: "They were saying my brother-in-law was going for his wallet, and maybe they thought he was going for a weapon."

A GoFundMe account has been established to help cover "medical bills" and the family's loss of income. For now, Dulce Gonzalez remains "distraught," "depressed," and "heartbroken," Peña said.

So far, police have no suspects, though Peña believes they are both teenagers. She described one as shorter than the other.

An investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. Anyone with information or perhaps further surveillance footage of the suspects is asked to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS.

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